Egypt and Guinea begin their hunt for a place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations when they square off at the Cairo International Stadium in Group D of the qualifiers on Thursday.
The Pharaohs, who suffered World Cup qualification heartbreak back in March, head into the game unbeaten in 10 consecutive home games and will look to keep this fine run alive and kicking.
Match preview
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Egypt were last in action on March 29 when their dreams of making it to the World Cup later in the year came to an end courtesy of a penalty shootout defeat against Senegal.
After picking up a 1-0 home victory in the first leg, the Pharaohs were beaten 1-0 at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade in the return leg against Aliou Cisse's men, who went on to claim a 3-1 victory on penalties.
This was a repeat of their gruesome Africa Cup of Nations final loss back in February when the the Lions of Teranga claimed a similar 4-2 victory on penalties to clinch the title following a goalless draw in 120 minutes.
Egypt, who are the most decorated nation on the continent with seven AFCON titles, now return home where they are currently unbeaten in each of their last 10 outings, picking up an impressive nine wins and one draw since a 1-0 loss to South Africa in July 2019.
Ehab Galal's men will fancy their chances of getting their qualification campaign off to a flyer as they take on an opposing side whom they are unbeaten against in each of the last four meetings between the sides, including three straight wins in their last three encounters.
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Guinea, on the other hand, were last in action on March 25, when they played out an uneventful goalless draw with South Africa in a friendly fixture at Belgium's Guldensporen Stadion.
This followed a somewhat disappointing defeat at the hands of Gambia in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations back in January, when Musa Barrow scored the only goal of the game to send the newcomers through to the quarter-finals.
Guinea have now failed to taste victory in any of their last four outings across all competitions, picking up two draws and losing two since seeing off Malawi when the sides squared off on January 10.
Kaba Diawara's side will now look to end this dry spell and kick-off their qualification run on a high note as they eye a third consecutive AFCON appearance for just the second time in history.
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Team News
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Egypt have named a star-studded 37-man squad for their upcoming qualification games, including Champions League finalist Mohamed Salah, who is second in the nation's all-time top scorers list with 47 goals in 82 appearances.
The Liverpool star should be joined at the attacking end of the pitch by Konyaspor forward Ahmed Hassan and Omar Marmoush, who made 23 appearances for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.
At the centre of the park, we should see Arsenal man Mohamed Elneny, who has 92 international appearances under his belt, teaming up with Hamdy Fathy and Al Ahly star Amr El Solia.
Ahmed Abou El Fotouh, Mahmoud El Wensh, Ahmed Hegazi and Omar Gaber should form the four-man defensive line, shielding veteran goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy between the sticks.
There is also room for potential debutants, including 23-year-old midfielder Canaria, Future FC defender Mahmoud Marei and ENPPI goalkeeper Mahmoud Gad, who have earned their first call-up to the senior squad.
Guinea also boast several world-class talents scattered across all departments of the pitch, including the likes of Liverpool star Naby Keita and Brentford defender Julian Jeanvier, who has six caps to his name.
Keita should be joined in midfield by Roma man Amadou Diawara and Leipzig teenager Ilaix Moriba, who made 14 appearances for Valencia on loan in the La Liga.
Clermont forward Mohamed Bayo, who has three goals in 11 appearances, should handle business at the attacking end of the pitch, forming an attacking duo with 24-year-old Gnagna Barry.
Egypt possible starting lineup:
El Shenawy; El Fotouh, El Wensh, Hegazi, Gaber; Elneny, Fathy, El Solia; Salah, Marmoush, Hassan
Guinea possible starting lineup:
M Camara; A Camara, Jeannie, I Sylla, Sow; Moriba, Keita, Diawara, Cisse;Bayo, Barry
We say: Egypt 2-1 Guinea
Egypt will be looking to quickly put their World Cup disappointment behind them and get their AFCON qualifiers off to a good note. Unbeaten in 10 straight home games, the Pharaohs are firm favourites to come away with the win and we are backing them to see off the out-of-sorts visitors.
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Top tip
Joshua Ojele
